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vnwatson

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Looking to buy a 5 gallon with a 'hidden' filter that doesn't get in the way when cleaning or aquascaping. It would also be a bonus if it had a built in heater so I don't have to have the ugly thing handing on the back of the tank. Anyone have any ideas?
 
Looking to buy a 5 gallon with a 'hidden' filter that doesn't get in the way when cleaning or aquascaping. It would also be a bonus if it had a built in heater so I don't have to have the ugly thing handing on the back of the tank. Anyone have any ideas?
You could maybe use an undergravel filter and put plants in front of the stacks.
 
This is an idea I had for the decor of the tank. I'm planning on just putting my 2 mollies and my guppy in it, so they aren't aggressive at all with each other. Not sure if plants would fit the theme at all or if I should use plants? My mollies usually don't touch the plants I currently have, but one of them likes to hide under a rock cave I have.
 

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You could maybe use an undergravel filter and put plants in front of the stacks.
You could maybe use an undergravel filter and put plants in front of the stacks.
I was planning on using sand? Would it work still with sand? Also, how do you access the filter cartridges? Sorry, I'm new (1 year) to keeping fish, so I have lots to learn still. Lol!
 
I was planning on using sand? Would it work still with sand? Also, how do you access the filter cartridges? Sorry, I'm new (1 year) to keeping fish, so I have lots to learn still. Lol!
I could be wrong, but I don't think sand would work with an undergravel filter. The grates under the gravel have holes which the sand would just get sucked into.
 
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Undergravel filters must have gravel over them; sand grains will fall down and make the filter useless. I would not recommend an undergravel filter anyway. A simple sponge filter connected to an air pump would be better. You can easily use a piece of wood or rock to hide the sponge/air lift tube.

But back to the fish--this 5 gallon tank is not sufficient space for mollies. They require at least a 30-inch long tank and preferably a 36-inch. Mollies need space to grow, they attain (or should) 3 inches for males and 5-6 for females. Mollies are also especially sensitive to water parameters (they must have hard water) and water conditions and cannot tolerate any ammonia, nitrite or high nitrate. The larger tank should ensure water conditions are fine; no mention is made of your parameters (GH and pH).
 
Trickle filter/ sump perhaps?
They sit underneath the main tank and are connected to it by hoses/ pipes. They increase the total water volume of the tank and you can put heaters, filter material or whatever you want in them. A lot of people use them on marine tanks but they also work just as well on freshwater tank. Maybe google trickle filters and look at images of them.

Some tanks have a trickle filter built into the back of them.
Do not buy a tank with the trickle filter built into the hood because they are a pain to clean and work on.
 
Trickle filter/ sump perhaps?
They sit underneath the main tank and are connected to it by hoses/ pipes. They increase the total water volume of the tank and you can put heaters, filter material or whatever you want in them. A lot of people use them on marine tanks but they also work just as well on freshwater tank. Maybe google trickle filters and look at images of them.

Some tanks have a trickle filter built into the back of them.
Do not buy a tank with the trickle filter built into the hood because they are a pain to clean and work on.
The trickle filters I'm finding seem to be very large compared to the tanks they are in and seem to cause a lot of mess (water escaping the system.) Perhaps I'm looking up the wrong thing?
 
What sort of trickle filters are you looking at?
There are tanks with trickle filters built into the back of the tank. The simply put a piece of glass in the back half of the tank and fill it with sponges. Water from the tank flows over the glass divider and gets filtered and pumped back into the front of the tank.

You can also get a couple of tanks and have a couple of holes drilled in the base of one tank. Some drain pipes get fitter to the holes and go into the second tank, which is situated underneath the main tank. You need a double tier stand for this. The fish live in the top tank and the water drains into the bottom tank, is filtered, heated and pumped back up to the top tank.

If you are limited to space then perhaps get a 10gallon tank made (or buy one premade) with a partition in the back half and fill it with sponges, a heater and small water pump.
 

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